Mark 14: 26 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28However, after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.” NHEB
After leaving the Upper Room, they exited Jerusalem and walked across the Kidron Valley. They were walking and singing when suddenly Jesus tells them they will all fall away. (The Old Testament quote that Jesus applies is from Zechariah 13:7). This rather unexpected announcement had to hit the disciples hard as they have pinned their hopes on Jesus. It is reminiscent of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the crucifixion who were heartbroken and dejected as a result of that event.
The Greek word here for fall away is “skandalisthēsesthe” which comes from the root word “skandalon” (see Strong’s 4625 and 4624). Thayer’s Greek Lexicon describes it as “to entice to sin” or “to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey; to cause to fall away”. Another word that shows up in the definition is apostasy.
John 12:12 On the next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and were shouting, “Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” 14 And Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, 15 “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they had done these things to Him. NHEB
In these verses from John, we see another prophecy from Zechariah. Glorified in John usually ties not just to the cross but to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We are inclined to connect glorification to ascension since no one knew anything until after Pentecost. The thing we tend to forget is that the only thing early Christians knew about Jesus came from the Old Testament as there was no New Testament. So much of our time is spent in the New Testament that we forget to look for Jesus in the Old Testament.
Suffice to say, something is about to happen that is scandalous and everyone will be scattered but the good news is that the scattering will not be permanent.
Mark 14:29 Peter said to him, “Even if they all fall away, I will not!” 30 Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today – this very night – before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I must die with You, I will never deny You.” And all of them said the same thing. NET
Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!” 34Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.” NET
We are given two glimpses about how to respond to sifting by Satan – on the one hand, we have Judas and on the other, we have Peter. There is clear repentance and restoration from Peter but not so from Judas. Peter is a little presumptuous here as he is showing a great deal of bravado with no admission of frailty. While we admire his resolve, he lacks humility. The thing is, we are all Peter and if our salvation hinges upon our own faithfulness, then we are all in trouble. Fortunately, it is God’s faithfulness rather than our own that saves us and that is what we will ultimately see in regards to Peter.
Mark 14:32 They came to a place which was named Gethsemane. He said to His disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.” 33 He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed. 34 He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch.” 35He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from Him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to You. Please remove this cup from Me. However, not what I desire, but what You desire.” NHEB
Gethsemane means “olive press”. Olives at this time in Israel were far more prized for the oil than eating (after all, pizza had not been invented yet). The olives were crushed into pulp and placed into bags. Heavy stones were placed on the bags (or people simply stepped on them) which would then squeeze the oil out. By the time of Jesus, the technology had advanced to the point where a heavy beam could be screwed down tighter and tighter on the pulp bags to extract the oil.
Peter, James and John have access that the others don’t . This is a moment of intense emotional distress for Jesus that is so overpowering that He falls to the ground in prayer. Although “hour” language is more common to John and Mark, what is being described here is hours of prayer as Jesus is locked in a struggle. After Jesus has been tempted for 40 days and the devil is unsuccessful, Luke tells us that the devil departs until an opportune time. Perhaps this is now that opportune time as Satan wants to stop Jesus from doing what He was sent to do. The humanity of Jesus is clearly on display as He struggles with what is about to happen but the outcome of His struggle is never in doubt.
Matthew 1:21 And she will bring forth a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” NHEB